For 18-year-old defenseman Matthew Schaefer, Thursday’s preseason game versus the New Jersey Devils wasn’t about perfection—it was about progress. The New York Islanders’ top draft pick logged his second game of camp and showed flashes of why the organization is so excited about his future.
Schaefer admitted afterward that there were plays he wished he could have back, but he stressed the importance of learning from mistakes now, not when the regular season begins. "Every game’s a step in the right direction. There are going to be mistakes, but you just learn from them, put them in the past, and worry about the next one," he said.